2nd Stage Test Preparation Material | Open Doors Scholarship

The Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and Rossotrudnichestvo support the Open Doors Russian Scholarship. A consortium of leading Russian Universities organizes it. The Open Doors Olympiad has been held since 2017. Every year, hundreds and thousands of students from many countries participate in this scholarship. This Olympiad covers subjects ranging from engineering and IT to medicine and economics with tracks available for Master’s and PhD and Post Doctoral candidates. This time in 2024 they add a bachelor’s track also for young and talented students. There is no participation fee and the whole process is held online. The official working languages for this scholarship are English and Russian.

Benefits of Open Doors Scholarship

There is no tuition fee for the chosen study program.
A full preparatory year for learning the Russian language.
Monthly Stipend.
An engaging international experience with students from different countries.
More research opportunities in selected subjects.

Stages in Open Doors

1st Stage (Portfolio Competition includes Motivation Letter, Academic record, Achievements, Entrance Test)
2nd Stage Proctored Exam(Questions related to subject)
Interview only for PhD or Postdoctoral applicants

1st Stage in Open Doors

In the 1st stage of open doors, you have to complete your portfolio. This includes your Academic Records, Achievements(sports certificates, online courses, publications, projects), and a Motivation letter in which you have to explain your goals, achievements, why you chose this subject, and why Russia. At least the entrance test is an open-book test related to the topic. 3 attempts are provided to each applicant to pass the test. After filling all the sections in the portfolio and passing the entrance test we have to submit our portfolio for verification. The result of 1st stage will be announced on December 2, 2024. They will inform all the candidates on their accounts on the Open Doors website. The winning candidate has to register for the 2nd stage exam which will held on December 5,6,7. The schedule of the 2nd stage test for each subject is available on the official Open Doors website, or you can check it out here.

2ndStage Proctored Exam

The most important stage for bachelor’s and master’s applicants is 2nd stage exam. This exam is an online proctored exam which will conducted online on December, 5,6,7, 2024. Proctored means your webcam and microphone will record everything while doing the test. You must require a laptop or Pc with webcam and microphone to attend the 2nd stage exam. You cannot take a test on mobile phones. The duration for this exam is 3 hours (180 mins). The instructions for the 2ndstage test will be announced after the 1st stage result.

Importance of 2nd Stage Exam

The 2nd stage exam is important because it will select bachelor’s and master’s candidates based on their performance. According to the Open Doors official announcement, only 45% of the participants from each subject will participate in 2nd stage and the total number of scholarships is 1500. May be the total number of scholarships will be change this year because bachelor’s is added this year but if we look at previous years, around 1200 to 1500 candidates win each year. The merit will depend on the total number of participants and their obtained marks.

Preparation material for 2nd Stage proctored exam

Preparation material is also available on the official website of open doors for each subject. They provide the demo test and syllabus for each subject. Now it is a bit easier for participants to prepare for 2nd stage as all the information regarding topics, and types of questions are well explained in the demo test and in the syllabus. References of recommended books are also provided with specific topics and page numbers mentioned so it is very beneficial and easy for participants to find preparation material for open doors. Here below I have downloaded some books for each subject so check them out also demo test and syllabus are also available in the links below.

Common Mistakes to Avoid During the 2nd Stage Preparation

Preparation for 2nd stage exam is very crucial, but avoiding some mistakes is as important. Let’s look at some basic mistakes that many students make during the preparation of 2nd stage exam.

Taking it easy

Most of the students take it easy to pass the 2nd stage exam as they just pass the 1st stage. Remember 1st stage test is not difficult. It is an open-book test and you can even find answers from the internet or use chat-GPT but 2ndstage is a proctored exam. Your camera and microphone are recording the whole time during the test. They have AI detection systems so no way of cheating. Many of the students failed 2nd stage because they just took it easy and didn’t prepare for it.

Cramming(Ratta or rote learning)

Many of the students start the practice of remembering questions and answers as they do in schools and colleges. References to books and demo tests are provided on the official website open doors. They provide this material to understand the concepts not to remember every question. Just understand the concepts because the test will be based on concept questions. They will test your knowledge about your Subject.

Conclusion

The 2nd stage test is the crucial part of the open-door Russian scholarship process. If you perform well in this stage and pass it then you are one step closer to getting a fully funded education in Russia. Resources for the preparation of 2ndstage are provided on the Open Doors website and also you can search on the Internet. Stay consistent in your preparation and maintain determination. Remember, every bit of effort you put in now will pay off in the long run. Good luck!